ˈäksəˌdās, -āz noun
( -s )
Etymology: International Scientific Vocabulary oxid- (from oxidation ) + -ase
: any of various enzymes that catalyze oxidation and thus play an important role in biological oxidation-reduction processes ; especially : a metal-containing enzyme (as cytochrome oxidase or tyrosinase) that differs in general from a dehydrogenase in its ability to react directly with molecular oxygen — compare oxidoreductase , peroxidase